Dealing With Cancer Recurrence

Ask anyone in the advanced breast cancer community, and I can guarantee that we all have the same fear: recurrence.

What is recurrence with metastatic breast cancer?

So, what is recurrence, exactly? Breast cancer recurrence happens when cancer returns after completing the initial treatment. It can reappear in the same area or a different body part. Even those who have been in remission may experience a recurrence.¹

Recurrence means that cancer has popped up somewhere new in the body or hasn't stopped growing in a spot previously noted in the body. It is essential to get regular scans for this very reason. Routine scans give insight into cancer areas that are already present, as well as new spots that can pop up.

Routine scans to monitor recurrence

Working closely with your medical team to monitor these things is paramount to receiving adequate care. The sooner new cancer areas are found, the sooner you can develop a plan.

Personally, my biggest fear was recurrence in soft tissue. My metastasis initially manifested in my bones and stayed that way for a good long while. The cancer was well-managed with my first line of treatment, Ibrance^®, as well as infusions of Zometa^® and a round of radiation when the time did call for it. When my PET scan showed a new tumor in my liver, naturally, I was terrified.

Making new medical decisions

There were a few things I could do with my care plan when a recurrence happened in my liver. In collaboration with my healthcare team, I chose to add a medication that I had stopped using a couple of years back. I did this in hopes that I could stay on my first line of treatment longer and cut back on time spent in the clinic, as well as new side effects. This, unfortunately, did not work for me. I was in and out of the ER for a few months until my health continued to worsen.

New symptoms and declining health

Rapidly losing weight is never a good sign, nor is yellowing of the eyes and skin. Both of these symptoms occurred throughout the months of a "wait and see" period while monitoring my liver.

Finally, a blood test resulted in my oncologist making the call to admit me to the hospital. It was in the hospital that my health continued to decline. I was waiting to get a procedure done to hopefully get my liver back to working somewhat normally. This was in hopes that I could switch treatments to something more heavy-hitting and to knock out whatever cancer was present in my liver.

This is scary stuff! I was away from my family, and because I live in a different state than most people who normally support us, we had someone fly in to help with our child. I lost the ability to work, which is such a loss of independence and income. I was also in the hospital for a week, which took quite some time to recover from.

I am incredibly grateful for my oncologist and team, who took amazing care of me. They are the reason I am here writing this today.

Fear recurrence? You're not alone

So, yes, recurrence is one of the biggest fears of anyone living with cancer. It can happen fast, and it comes with many unknowns as well. Recurrence can mean treatment changes with different side effects. If recurrence is something you fear, know that you are not alone.